Etymology

watchword

W4A1T1C3H4W4O1R1D2

Today it means: A word used as a motto, as expressive of a principle, belief, or rule of action; a rallying cry. Full definition →

Middle English wacche word
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The story

  1. Middle English · inherited fromwacche word
  2. English todaywatchword

From Middle English wacche word, wacchworde, morphologically as watch (“guard, sentinel, sentry”) + word.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.